This invention relates to the collection of fog water or cloud water and, more particularly, to the collection of cloud water by a device wherein cloud droplets impact upon Teflon strands and are funneled into a sample bottle.
Under supersaturated conditions in the atmosphere, fog droplets form by activation of condensation nuclei and rapidly grow to diameters of 1 to about 100 microns. Recent reports of extremely high acidities in fogs, and clouds intercepting mountain slopes, have raised concern regarding related environmental consequences. Air quality control agencies in areas exposed to acidic fog have expressed the need to establish networks of sites monitoring the chemical composition of fog on a routine basis.
Various types of fog water collectors have been designed, including use of a filter medium to capture the water on impaction and dripping from large obstacles, such as sails.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,532 discloses apparatus for collecting fog water consisting of a slotted rotatable tube. The tube is rotated, and fog droplets are collected by impaction on the tube. Centrifugal force causes the water to flow outward toward the ends of the tube where it is collected in small vials. However, the device of this patent presents safety problems and is not suitable for automation.